Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yoerica’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yoerica’, characterized by its uniformly mounded plant habit; decorative-type inflorescences that are about 5.7 cm in diameter; attractive bright yellow ray florets; and numerous inflorescences per plant.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora andreferred to by the cultivar name Yoerica.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Salinas, Calif. The objective of the breeding program isto create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescenceswith desirable inflorescence forms and floret colors and good gardenperformance.

The new cultivar originated from a cross made by the Inventor inFebruary, 1994, of the Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Jessica (U.S.Plant Pat. No. 7,587) as the female, or seed, parent with anunidentified proprietary seedling selection as the male, or pollen,parent.

The cultivar Yoerica was discovered and selected by the Inventor as aflowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlledenvironment in Salinas, Calif., in November, 1995. The selection of thisplant was based on its desirable inflorescence form and ray floretcolor.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in acontrolled environment in Salinas, Calif., has shown that the uniquefeatures of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true totype in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Yoerica has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength and lightintensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Yoerica’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Yoerica’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Uniformly mounded plant habit.

2. Decorative-type inflorescences that are about 5.7 cm in diameter.

3. Attractive bright yellow ray florets.

4. Numerous inflorescences per plant.

The new Chrysanthemum is similar to the Dendranthema grandifloracultivar Sunny Linda, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,145. However inside-by-side comparisons under commercial practice, plants of the newChrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Sunny Linda in thefollowing characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are larger and more mounding thanplants of the cultivar Sunny Linda.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have larger inflorescences thanplants of the cultivar Sunny Linda.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of thenew cultivar.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perpective viewof a typical flowering plant of ‘Yoerica’.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view oftypical inflorescences of the cultivar ‘Yoerica’. These photographs showthe colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in coloredreproductions of this type. Floret and foliage colors in the photographsmay differ from the actual color due to light reflectance.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observationsand measurements describe plants grown in Leamington, Ontario, Canada,under conditions which approximate those generally used in commercialgarden Chrysanthemum production. One rooted cutting was planted in a15-cm container on Jul. 20, 1998 and plants were grown outdoors undernatural season conditions. Measurements and numerical values representaverages for typical flowering containers.

Botanical classification: Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Yoerica.

Commercial classification: Decorative-type garden chrysanthemum.

Parentage:

Female or seed parent.—Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Jessica,disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,587.

Male or pollen parent.—Unidentified proprietary seedling selection.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to rooting.—Seven to ten days with soil temperatures of 21° C.

Rooting habit.—Fine, fibrous and well-branched.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Perennial herbaceous decorative-type garden Chrysanthemum.Inverted triangle. Stems initially upright, then outwardly spreadinggiving a uniformly mounded appearance to the plant. Freely branchingwith lateral branches potentially developing at every node, whenpinched, about 12 laterals develop.

Plant height.—About 28 cm.

Plant spread.—About 43 cm.

Foliage description.—Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Length: About 6.7 cm.Width: About 4.7 cm. Apex: Cuspidate to mucronate. Base: Attenuate.Margin: Palmately lobed, sinuses parallel to divergent. Texture: Uppersurface sparsely pubescent; lower surface moderately pubescent. Veinsprominent on lower surface. Petiole length: About 2.4 cm. Petiolediameter: About 2.5 mm. Color: Young foliage upper surface: 147A. Youngfoliage lower surface: 147B. Mature foliage upper surface: 147A. Maturefoliage lower surface: 147B. Venation upper surface: 147A/147B. Venationlower surface: 147B.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence from with oblong to somewhatelongated spoon-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminalabove foliage, arising from leaf axils. Disk and ray florets arrangedacropetally on a capitulum. One inflorescence per terminal with numerousinflorescences per plant, about 8 to 10 per lateral stem.

Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants flower inearly October in the Northern Hemisphere about 79 days after planting,and flower for at least three weeks depending on weather conditions .

Inflorescence bud (before showing color).—Height: About 6 mm. Diameter:About 8 mm. Phyllary color: Close to 141A.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 5.7 cm. Depth (height): About 2.4cm.

Ray florets.—Shape: Oblong, concave. Length: About 2.7 cm. Width: About8 mm. Apex: Dentate. Margin: Entire. Texture: Smooth, glabrous, satiny.Orientation: Initially upright, then somewhat upright to horizontal.Number of ray florets per inflorescence: Typically more than 150. Color:When opening, upper and lower surfaces: 12A. Opened inflorescence: Uppersurface: 12A fading to 9A to 5A. Lower surface: Close to 5C.

Disc florets.—No disc florets observed.

Peduncle.—Aspect: Flexible, angled about 45° to the stem. Length: Firstpeduncle: About 6.7 cm. Fourth peduncle: About 7.9 cm. Diameter: About 2mm. Texture: Pubescent. Color: Close to 141A.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: None. Gynoecium: Present on rayflorets.

Disease resistance: Resistance to known Chrysanthemum diseases has notbeen observed on plants grown under commercial production conditions.

Seed production: Seed production has not been observed.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed ‘Yoerica’, as illustrated and described.